They aren’t Africa’s leading economies, but Senegal and Kenya are leading the continent for Internet gross domestic product thanks to government efforts in those countries to encourage Internet demand, Daily Nation reports, according to TechCentral.
Private Internet consumption accounts for more than 85 percent of iGDP in Senegal and Kenya, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. entitled “Lions go digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa.”
Here’s what some other African countries are doing to raise their iGDP, compiled by TechCentral.
A new initiative linking Uganda’s regional banks will allow merchants to transfer money across borders in East Africa. It’s part of the East African Community goal to grow capital markets in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Rwanda and Burundi are expected to join later.
Settlements using the East African Cross Border Payment System are made immediately, unlike the two or three days it took in the past. The previous system used a third-party commercial bank. The new system allows traders to go to any commercial bank in the region, according to DailyMonitor
Kenya’s Equatorial Commercial Bank launched a mobile app for customers to access banking services on their smartphones. Customers will be able to access mini and full financial statements, loan requests, add airtime, do M-Pesa and Airtel money transfers, and locate ATMs and branches. The app can be downloaded for Android, iOS and BlackBerry smartphones with a basic web-based version for Wap-enabled feature phones. A USSD code, *286#, serves as a platform to offer the same services on basic devices, according to ITWeb Africa.
Safaricom has launched Lipa Na M-Pesa, an online payment system in Kenya that lets local merchants take online payments for sales of goods and services.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said the ability to make and accept payment using mobile phones is a vital part of life for millions of Kenyans.
“The entry of M-Pesa into the online space is a game changer that is bound to transform the conduct and uptake of online trade in Kenya,” he said.
More than 18 million M-Pesa customers now have access to the new service either as entrepreneurs or customers, according to Niaje.com.
